Titans Lose Two Starting LB’s to Injuries for the Year

Tennessee linebacker Keith Bulluck has a torn left anterior cruciate ligament and will miss the rest of the season while outside linebacker David Thornton will have season-ending shoulder surgery later this week.

Coach Jeff Fisher announced Monday that test results show Bulluck tore his left ACL in the third quarter of their 27-24 overtime victory over Miami on Sunday in what might have been his final game with the franchise that drafted him 30th overall in 2000. The Titans were placing him on injured reserve Monday, and Bulluck will have surgery within two weeks.

Thornton had been deactivated against Miami as the Titans (7-7) hoped he might return. Fisher called the losses devastating to the defense.

“David was playing very well this year when he was able to play and Keith, Keith is kind of the cornerstone of our defense, and he has been for so many years. I don’t need to speak about the consecutive starts and production. He’s gone from AFC defensive player of the week to gone for the remainder of the season,” Fisher said.

Bulluck was AFC defensive player of the week after intercepting two passes in a 47-7 rout of St. Louis on December 13th.